The Bottineau pioneer. (Bottineau, N.D.) 1885-1895, 1887-07-14
limited that the hope was .

f0rlOrn one.
Have you had much experience in
waiting at tablet"
mot much, ma'am," said Parkins.
"May I ask whore you have lived
lastp"
The man hesitated for q moment.
ION a ranch, ma'am,' he said, with
a slight air Of being unwilling to pursue
the subject further. Then he added,
with more alacrity,-
II was servant to q gentleman out in
Wyoming"
"Ah! said Mrs. Madison.
She had rather intended to bully
John Parkins, but somehow the manner
of the man forbade it.
Having this unaccountable feeling that
further Investigations would be almost
IN impertinence, she proceeded to in
struct the new butler as to what would
henceforth be expected of-him.
He showed great alacrity zeal not
according to knowledge. But in spite
of a few awkwardnesses on his part he
produced a favorable impression on his
new mistress.
Dinner that day passed off remarka-
bly, well, considering that Parkens was
rather nervous, as servants are apt to
be in new places.
Miss Arden could not help admiring
his personal appearance and gentle
manly manner, and MI. Madison sat at
the head of the table, smiling blandly
and full of citation at the success of his
last Venture.
When dinner was over, Mrs. Madison
entered the pantry to ascertain how
the new functionary was behaving.
She was surprised to see a row of wet
plates standing all round the room,
leaning Their backs against the wall.
"Why, Parkins, what are you doing
with those platesp" she cried.
The Englishman regarded her with
a deprecatory air.
II was letting them dry a bit,
n1a'am," he said. Have done wrongp"
Certainly" said Mrs. Madison.
"The towels in the drawer are for dry
the china"
Parkins blushed so brightly that she
really pitied him.
Beg pardon, ma'am," he STAN
mered. ''but you see a man gets so
awfully rough in the West, ma'am.
We hadn't many towels on the ranch.
Thank you ma'am. I'll use them in
future. I'm very anxious to learn"
The drawing-room was henceforth
entertained with the pantry episodes,
of which this was the beginning.
In the main, however, Parkins gave
satisfaction. He was sober, diligent,
almost chlvalrous in his attention to
the wants of the ladies.
The defects in his education as a but
Ter were soon remedied, for Mrs. Mad
ison was an excellent housekeeper and
was willing to take untold trouble to
instruct any one who was %teachable.
The fresh. handsome face of Parkins.
his respectful and manly bearing, and
his charming English accent, which
was evidently not that of a cockney,
ingratiated him with his employers and
ever their acquaintance.
Occasionally a new book or paper
was missing from the sitting-room,
and more than once it was found in the
pantry among the rouge-cloths and
plate-powder. In one case the missing
volume was one of Lecky's. and Miss
Arden, who had searched in vain,
asked Parkins if he had seer it. He
confessed to having borrowed it.; and
"ACA oJ1VlJ OOhCA Vu III "lGu OOVl-
surprise, he made some confused
remark about ''bettering his educa-
ton"
eff he can appreciate that book"
said Miss Arden afterwards to her Sis
ter, ''his education Doesn't need much
bettering."
One evening, when John Parkins
had been with the Madisons for q
month or more, several newly-arrived
English people dined at the house.
From the moment when the party
sat down at the table, Parkins began to
behave strangely. He became absent
minded and inattentive. His strongest
desire appeared to be to get out of tue
room as quickly as possible.
Mr.. Madison was annoyed, and
thought for a moment that his butler
might be under the influence of liquor;
but after he had watched him for a
minute or two he was convinced that
the man was perfectly sober, though
evidently laboring under great mental
perturbation.
But, as one cannot watch ones but
ler all the evening, Mr.. M%adison's at
tention was soon diverted, and the cir
CuHlSlbuCC ptooCu AIOn HIS Lltllus
One day in the early spring a letter
came for George Madison from the
British Legation at Washington.
1t requested information in regard
to the whereabouts of Mr.. Cecil Finch,
an English gentleman who was suppos-
ed to be in the United States at that
time. Mr.. Madison replied with polite
brevity that he had never had the pleas
ure of knowing any one of that name.
There he thought the matter would
rest But by return of post came
another letter, which intimated that
the Legation could not take MI. Madi-
sons reply assfinal, for Cecil Finch had
been seen going in and out of Mr..
Madison's house in New York.
MI. Madison was b.. this time rather
curious, and not a little indignant. He
was not accustomed to having his
word doubted.
He therefore wrote back somewhat
sharply t the effect that the only
Englishman who came and went in his
household in the manne described was
his butler, john Parkins.
"Upon my word" he said that night
at dinner to his wife and sister-m-law,
Il am tired of Mr.. Cecil Finch without
ever having seen him. The logged
pertinacity of the English diplomats
does them credit"
Parkins, who was handing a dish OF
sweets at the moment, started so vio-
lently that the dish almost slipped
L from his fiOraro @